Good diet and exercise regimen!

So I’ve tried and failed to lose fat so many times, my resolve deflating faster than a balloon let loose in the air. I didn’t even lose the weight after posting a blog article almost a year ago stating that I was “sure to do it this time”. I started out strong (too strong), adhering to a really strict diet and rigorous exercise routine, loosing 10 pounds the first two weeks. But I got burned out and quit. Over the following months, I gained the weight back and then some. I didn’t get my resolve back to try again until the end of January 2013.

My new approach was to try eating healthy FIRST (always the hardest part for me) and then add a daily exercise routine. I knew that no amount of exercise could truly compensate for unhealthy and over eating. I didn’t do any crazy diet or take pills. I just made healthy choices with veggies, high anti-oxidant fruits, healthy fats, oatmeal and cutting down on my glutinous grains. I kept the toasted English muffin and tortilla in my diet, however. They filled my stomach, helping me feel satisfied. They gave substance to my proteins and veggies, like when I made a fat-free turkey or black bean, stewed tomato and leafy veggie tortilla wrap. 

And guess what happened when I chose water instead of other drinks and ate healthy, keeping my daily caloric intake between 1,300 and 1,500? Combined with my usual daily chores, running the kids around, laundry, dishes and cleaning, I lost 3 pounds the first week and 3 the next – JUST by eating healthier. After two weeks of this, I felt confident enough to incorporate an exercise routine without the risk of sabotaging my efforts through bad eating.

I did 45 minutes to an hour of sweating exercise 6 days a week (taking every Sunday off). I jogged on a Planet Fitness treadmill or outside as weather permitted or I did aerobics in my home. I did all my exercising in the morning after dropping my first-grader off at school and before the younger ones got up for the day. It was sometimes hard when I felt like I needed more sleep, but I forced myself to stay up and just do it.

http://www.culinarycolleen.com/green-smoothie-beginners/

Back to my diet, the reason I’ve failed in the past is because I’ve always felt lacking in a full tummy and satisfied taste buds. I actually DON’T enjoy green salads. Eating large salads as a meal take time to prepare and even longer to consume. I thought, if I could only drink my salad, that would be something. Well, green smoothies were the answer to that. I mixed frozen berries and other fruits, a banana to add creaminess, a large handful of raw spinach leaves (you don’t even taste the spinach when it’s all mixed in), and a little water or almond milk for desired viscosity. The result was an enjoyable drink that went down fast and smooth.  

I also rediscovered the avocado. Some people shy away from this fruit because they either dislike the taste or know that one avocado contains 30 grams of fat, albeit good fat. Well I LOVE the avocado with a little salt and pepper, but only allow myself a quarter each day because of the fat content. I actually spread it on my toasted English muffin. Finding foods that I like, and are healthy, have made all the difference in sticking to healthy eating. I don’t have to JUST eat salads or raw nuts (nuts give me canker sores) or tofu (never cared much for tofu). There are SO MANY good foods out there that I can eat and enjoy that help me stick to a healthy diet, have energy to workout and still lose weight and not feel deprived at the end of the day.

HOWEVER, not being perfect by any means, once in a while, if I’m having a rough day and the thought of sweets won’t leave, I’ll grab either a fun size Three Musketeers candy bar (regular or mint), a mini peppermint patty, or I pop about 15 M&Ms into my mouth. As long as I have the restraint to stop there (and I do), my craving is satisfied and my diet is still on track (but I’m sure to jot down the calories and fat from the extra treat). I write down ALL my calories.

So there you go. This is what presently works for me. I’ve lost 20 pounds in the two months since I began, and I am working on the next 10. I have my brother’s wedding coming up as well as publicity pictures in preparation for the release of my debut novel, Shadows of Valor. I want to feel and look good for those occasions.

I’d love to hear what works for you.

YA Horror/Suspense by The Brothers Washburn

PITCH GREEN is the first installment in the Dimensions in Death series and is set for release March 16^th, 2013. This impressive novel successfully reinvigorates the horror genre for YA and Adult readers. With a pinch of humor and dash of romance, the Brothers Washburn's impressive writing styles have combined to create a magnificently fresh, and horrifying, debut novel.

SYNOPSIS:

Trona is a small, smoggy, mostly insignificant town in California. Besides a booming chemical plant, the only thing that characterizes this dismal town is dirt, sagebrush, and an enormous abandoned mansion. The mansion is, admittedly, the only notable addition to Trona, but it's something everyone tries to avoid due to its creepy facade. Everyone except for Camm Smith, who is obsessed with the need to get inside. Seven years earlier, as Camm herded a pack of little trick-or-treaters past the mansion, her young neighbor, Hughie, disappeared, becoming one of the many children who have vanished from Trona over the years without a trace. Now a senior in high school, Camm is still haunted by the old tragedy, and is sure the answer to the mysterious disappearances lies hidden somewhere in the decaying mansion. Joining forces with her best friend, Cal, who also happens to be Hughie's older brother, Camm naively begins a perilous search for the truth. As things spiral quickly out of control, and others die, Camm and Cal discover it will take all their combined ingenuity to stay alive. An unseen evil lurking deep within the bowels of the mansion is now hunting them. To make matters worse, they become entangled with hostile federal agents, who will do all they can to keep old secrets permanently hidden. Left with only their wit and seemingly ineffective firearms, Camm and Cal know time is running out. Unless they can make sense of the few pieces of the puzzle they manage to unearth, their lives are in danger, and like so many others before them, they may also disappear without a trace.

Synopsis by Jolly Fish Press - http://www.jollyfishpress.com/press%20release/010913_Pitch_Green_PR.html

There is a giveaway created for this tour located at: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MDQ4NmY1MmY0NmFkNjI0NTc2NDI1MTIxMWYxNTE4OjM=/

Berk and Andy Washburn are lawyers by profession, writers at heart. They are the co-authors of Pitch Green.

Blog - http://thebrotherswashburn.blogspot.com/

Twitter – @BrosWashburn

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/TheBrothersWashburn

 

Computer up and running and BACKED UP!

http://nexusconsultancy.co.uk/system-administrator-appreciation-day/

Okay, HAPPY DAY everyone! In a nutshell, after my computer wouldn't boot up yesterday, claiming to have a ton of corrupt files, my computer is up and running again and nothing was lost. Chris spent seven hours working on my computer. He hooked my hard drive into his computer and transferred all my files onto his computer. He then put the hard drive back into mine and after working out quite a few bugs, trip-ups and launch failures he was able to reformat and reinstall Windows (which was the main problem with corrupt files - still don't know if I had a virus or if it was just a fluke) - scared the CRAP out of me, though, I can tell you. I bought a 16-GB thumb drive and backed up ALL my files onto that before copying them onto my reformatted computer. All seems to be well again. I owe my husband BIG!!! He's my hero!

Balancing Writing and Social Media

I had planned on posting a few paragraphs on this subject, but this morning my computer decided to crash, taking with it my post files, my journal entries, my musical compositions, all the pages I'd typed in my new novel, my research notes, contact information for friends, family, fellow authors and so much more. And nothing was backed up because I had no available thumb drive and my floppy disk drive was broken on my hand-me-down computer.

So, that being said, I had previously sent a paragraph of my thoughts on writing and social media to my fellow author, Ann Marie Meyers, who is posting hers, mine and several other authors' paragraphs on the subject. I'm just going to send you to Ann Marie's blog address and let you read my words there.

I'm still hoping to extract my computer files from my hard drive somehow, but this may take days to figure out.  

Everyday Medieval Devices

We take so much for granted with our everyday modern items and appliances. What did people in the Middle Ages use instead of toothpaste, nail clippers or wristwatches? I’ve compiled a basic list of items we use today followed by the medieval equivalent.

Comic from - http://beckstrombuzz.blogspot.com/

Soap – Soap was usually made from ash lye and animal fat

Plates and utensils – They had plates and utensils made from metal, wood and bone. Even dried bread rounds were used for plates. These were called trenchers.

Telephone and texting – parchment missives and letters written with quill and ink, or people who relayed verbal messages.

Electric lights – candles, oil lamps, torches, sunlight (things we still use today when the electricity goes out)

Nail clippers – crude scissors, biting, files from anything rough such as stone, wood and some metals

Clocks and wristwatches – an hourglass (~1338 A.D.), mechanical clocks (wind up, weight driven clocks mostly used in clock towers, ~1200-1300 A.D.), sundials, looking at the position of the sun, knowing the seasons

Lipstick – beeswax or other wax tinted with color from fruits, plants or even insect innards (ewww)

Hair lightener – washing their hair in lemon juice or brushing it into the hair before allowing the sun to bleach it - must have reeked havoc on the roots and tips, though.

Laundry bleach – hanging clothes in the sunshine

Laundry washer – using a washboard (or large rocks in the river) together with lye-soap and water

Laundry dryer – an indoor or outdoor clothesline or wood frame for hanging the clothes on, or laying clothes and sheets on the grassy ground, bushes or over low walls

Body deodorant – washing the body in non-scented or scented water, using perfumes and scented oils from essences of flower petals, herbs and spices. Clothes were often stored with lavender and other herbs, not only to keep moths away, but to keep them smelling good.

Air deodorizer – smoke, flowers, or anything that would be a body deodorant

TV and entertainment – books for those who could read (often only in Latin), live entertainment with jesters, jugglers, animal handlers, musical bards, story tellers, dancers, puppeteers, tournaments, sports, etc.

Carpet – Medieval castles did not have carpet until about the 14th century because it was common to cover floors with dried grasses, flowers and herbs. The plants provided fragrance and could regularly be swept away and replaced, keeping the floor relatively clean. Though textiles were costly, castles hung tapestries from the walls for insulation. This practice later evolved into carpeting floors. The poorer folks with wood or hard-packed dirt floors either kept them bare or also covered them with rushes, straw/hay, flowers and herbs.

Ground flour and other grains –Vertical windmills (~1180 A.D.) made grinding grain or draining water more efficient.

Buttons, snaps, elastic and zippers – Ties were the most common way to keep your clothing on until the functional button arose in England about ~1200 A.D. – zippers and elastic were not introduced until modern times.

Fabric – Fabrics and material were produced by hand on vertical and horizontal looms.

Horizontal looms (appearing about the11^th century) were operated by foot-treadles, making production faster and more efficient. The spinning wheel was introduced into England around the 13^th century.

Drinking fountain - Artesian wells (~1126 A.D.) - A thin rod with a hard iron cutting edge is placed in the bore hole and repeatedly struck with a hammer, underground water pressure forces the water up the hole without pumping. Artesian wells are named after the town of Artois in France, where the first one was drilled by Carthusian monks in 1126.

Central heating – a fire pit in the center of the room, or later fireplaces with a chimney (~1100 A.D.). In some buildings, furnace-heated air was conducted through empty spaces under the floors and out pipes in the walls, this method was seen more in wealthy abodes. Tapestries on the walls and coving windows also added to insulation.

Air conditioning – Aside from opening a window there were servant-powered fans. Romans ran aqueduct water through their walls, and the Chinese used rotary fan devises up through the end of the 1200s A.D.

Facial tissue – handkerchiefs or any available material such as a sleeve (I'm sure the "farmer's blow" was utilized QUITE often - as it is even today *laugh*)

Toilet paper – Any cloth rag that could be washed, a sponge on a stick (like in Ancient Rome), plants called common mullein for its absorbent and soft texture, the left hand (gross but true), defecating into rivers, scrapping with wood shavings, leaves, grass, hay, stone, sand, moss, snow, maize, ferns, husks, fruit skins, seashells, corncobs - Let me just say that I LOVE my toilet paper *GRIN*

Dryer sheets - Boiling clothing in scented water, and then hanging them out to dry

Hair brush – Wooden brushes handles with horse or other animal hair strung through it. Oils for the hair also made the hair smooth and shiny - or not washing the hair for a week and letting the natural oils take their course :).

Toothbrush – If you could make it or afford it, a small wooden stick with coarse hair from horse or other animal strung through it. Simply rinsing with water helped clean the teeth to an extent. A common practice was to use sticks that were frayed at the end or whitening teeth with powder. Picking the teeth with a knife or toothpick made of wood, bone, feather quills, porcupine quills or using the fingernail was probably the most common along with using a piece of cloth, or a chew stick/twig made from a tree with antimicrobial properties such as Salvadora persica, Sassafras, Dakhaar, Gun tree, Tea tree, Neem, Gouania lupuloides, Cinnamon, Dogwood, olive, walnut, and other trees with bitter roots.

Floss – I didn’t find any record of people actually using floss to clean between their teeth, but if anyone was intuitive enough to think of doing it, they could have used horse or other strong animal hair I suppose. Otherwise, they cleaned their teeth with the items and techniques mentioned above under "toothbrush".

Toothpaste – though sodium bicarbonate (what we call baking soda) did exist, but it was mainly used for tenderizing meat – I don’t know if it was used for teeth.

Mouthwash and breath fresheners – chewing on mint leaves, bay leaves, cinnamon bark or other herbs. Rinsing with water, wine or vinegar. 

Hope you enjoyed reading this historical list! I don't know about you, but after compiling it, I was sure glad to live in modern times! Yeah, I know, we're pretty darn spoiled . . . and loving it :-)

DISSENSION by Adrienne Monson

If you love fantasy, urban fantasy and romantic fiction with paranormal elements including vampires, then Adrienne Monson's debut novel, Dissension, book one in “The Blood Inheritance Trilogy,” is your kind of read!

DISSENSION Synopsis:

Fists are pumping, bodies gyrating, sweat dripping—booming music drowns out all other noise in the dark club. Leisha, dressed in skimpy, revealing clothes, eyes her victim. As soon as he sets eyes on her, she knows he's hers. He becomes excited as despicable thoughts of murder run through his mind, all readable by Leisha's abnormal senses. After a bit of small talk, they are soon both out the door, Leisha pushed against the wall. The man pulls out a knife, ready to cut up this beautiful woman. Leisha smiles as she deflects the knife and bites into his neck, sucking every ounce of life from this abominable man. It wasn't always this way. Leisha was once a loving mother with an ideal family. Though this was over two thousand years ago, Leisha still holds that time dear to her heart. But for now, she must focus on trying to escape the eternal and bloody war between her kind—the Vampires—and the Immortals, an undying race sworn to destroy her people. Soon, Leisha finds herself captured by the government only to be saved by a young and mysterious human girl. What entails is the beginning of a long and torturous journey as Leisha and her newfound friend run for their lives while searching for the one thing that can end it all—the prophecy child.

Synopsis taken from the Jolly Fish Press site at:

http://www.jollyfishpress.com/authors/Adrienne_Monson/Dissension/Dissension.html

DISSENSION will be available where books and ebooks are sold February 23, 2013.

Follow Adrienne on:

Facebook - www.facebook.com/adriennemonson

Twitter - https://twitter.com/adriennemonson

Website - http://www.adriennemonson.com/

Barbara Knudsen's Awesome Art!

This special post is dedicated to my sister Barbara Knudsen's AWESOME pastel art. Barbara, my younger sister by two years (and my only sister), has done beautiful and WAY CUTE pictures of art since grade school. Her original characters with their telling facial expressions and actions show unique stories or situations through Barbara's clever artistic talent. She's done small books for home and family use, pictures on her own wall, and some art for others as they've asked for specific works. Probably her biggest projects have been painting the walls of rooms. Before my family moved out of our childhood home, Barbara painted an AMAZING Greek Garden mural on one of our bathroom walls, and then years later was commissioned by a client friend to paint the walls in an entire garage being furnished for a children's gymnastic studio. I praise and adore Barbara's work, and I hope others will appreciate her sweet animal characters too.

Here are several samples of her art: (click on pictures to enlarge)

This has got to be my favorite - It's entitled "Never Give Up"

Elephant and monkey on Jungle Gymnastics wall

Jungle Gymnastics wall

Jungle Gymnastics wall

This flamingo pic is SO SWEET - It's entitled "First Flight"

I LOVE the different expressions on the monkeys as they work together to obtain a single banana - It's entitled "Teamwork"

I love these fluffy, pudgy bears in "Family Time"

The Greek ruins bathroom mural - a picture of a picture since we don't live in the old house anymore and can't get a digital pic

More of the Greek ruins bathroom mural

Three picture prints placed together to show how the Greek-themed painting wrapped around the bathroom walls above the shower.

Another cute team work picture to help a little guy hanging on a breaking branch - It's entitled "The Rescue"

Barbara would love to write children's books and do the art for them, but she's also open to producing the art for another children's author who is looking for an artist.

Note: Barbara did NOT ask me to post this article, but she DID give me permission to do so when I asked her if I could. I love her and want to help her dream of creating art as a business begin to take flight.

If you're interested in Barbara's art, in hiring her to do some work (either for books or individual art pieces), or would like a printed copy of her work, her e-mail is: barbaraknudsen1@gmail.com. She charges only a small amount above the cost to get the picture printed and mailed out.

Or you may contact me and I will contact her.
My contact information is:
Facebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/elsie.r.park
Facebook (business page): https://www.facebook.com/authorelsiepark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/elsiepark1
Blog: www.elsiepark.blogspot.com
E-mail: elsie_rees@hotamil.com

Moving "Whoas"

http://valetconfidential.blogspot.com/2013/10/were-moving.html

Whoa, we have a lot of JUNK!

We finally sold our two-bedroom condo after 2 years of being on the market. We’d been in it since we were a newly-married couple with no kids, but we were bursting at the seams with three small energetic children 10 years later. It sold just a week ago, papers signed, mortgage paid off, but in the middle of a COLD winter. Ugh. Well, beggars can’t be choosers. A winter move it was. Not having another home picked out yet, we moved into my husband’s parent’s basement, but the move presented a good list of what I called my moving “whoas.” Here are a few of them:

Whoa wait, the buyer wants to close in TWO DAYS, and we need to be out in FOUR? Uh . . . all right . . . let’s start packing - Actually, by the time we were told the closing date, we’d already moved our non-essentials and only had the items we needed to live by. It was still a non-stop packing, moving and organizing venture that took some serious effort, though.

Whoa, hold up, this California king-size mattress isn’t going to fit in the stairwell. How the HECK did we get it up into our room when we first bought it? Here, just squish it a little . . . there you go . . . now throw your body against it . . . yeah, now it fits.

http://arewethereyet-davisfarmmom.blogspot.com/2012/01/note-to-my-big-kids-who-are-not-here-to.html

Whoa, be careful bringing the heavy furniture down the snowy pathway to our temporary basement home. One slip and I’ll be a pancake under the couch. . . . Whew, made it without any mishaps other than sore muscles for the next week.

Whoa, you mean we have to DISSASSEMBLE the entertainment center in order to get it through the door? Just take SOME of it apart, and then we can lift the remaining piece into the truck . . . yea, that’s right, lift, shuffle, back up, forward . . . now tip it onto the tailgate . . . CRACK! Uh, looks like our 6-foot wide entertainment center is now a much lighter 2 ½-foot wide piece. Oh well, now it fits in the basement.

Whoa! Look at all the DUST and GRIME under the washer, dryer, fridge, oven and behind the headboard! The Dust Buster won’t even begin to clean all that up. Better use the shop vac!

Whoa, whoa, did you already pack up all the towels and take them to the other place? And we just moved the washer, too! Looks like we’ll be sharing a dirty towel for a few days. Aaa!

Whoa, NO! Do not pack the TOILET PAPER until we leave the house for good!

Whoa, one of the two basement bedrooms is already filled with the boxes we’re leaving packed. Uh, that only leaves the other 11 by 11-foot room to put the California King, bunk beds, crib and four chests of drawers. Naw, we don’t need walking room between beds. We can just step on mattresses and cabinets. No problem. Brings us closer together as a family . . . OUCH, get off my foot! Okay, maybe a little too close. Let’s go hang out in the family room.

Whoa, I lost 4 pounds in 4 days! Who knew moving a house would be the most effective exercise routine I’ve ever done? Nice! Who else needs to move? I’m game!

We just paid off our first and second mortgage and the outstanding credit card bill with the sale of our house. Yahoo! . . . Whoa, wait, you’re telling me we only have a few hundred dollars to our name after all that? And I still have to fill the cabinets with food, buy the girls winter pants, pay the bills owed for electricity and gas for the first part of the month and put gas in the car. Sheesh. I guess this means no vacation for a while. Sigh.

Whoa, where the heck did we pack the miniature thumb drive? I remember putting it in a place that would be safe during the move, but now I can’t remember where that place WAS! The kids’ computer games were on it. Oh well, bring out the board games and coloring books. . . . Uh, you don’t know which box those were in either? AAARGH!

Little Caesar's Hot and Ready Pep!

Whoa, are you kidding? I am NOT cooking dinner after an entire day of moving boxes in the freezing cold, organizing, rearranging, taking care of three children and then changing our address over the phone with about 10 different companies. . . . Yes, Little Caesar’s Hot and Ready pepperoni pizza and crazy bread sound DIVINE!

Whoa, glad we were all moved before the freezing rain came through our state and turned driveways, roads and parking lots into giant ice rinks. Could have been interesting: Figure skating with appliances. Possibly the next Olympic sport. Particularly entertaining for spectators. 

Whoa, we’re certainly blessed to have relatives who’ve allowed us to live in their basement until we find another habitation of our own. Thanks mom and dad! We love you! Hope you still love us months down the road when we’re still in your house.

"The Next Big Thing!"

“THE NEXT BIG THING” is designed to raise awareness of new works, or works in progress, by answering ten questions about them. I graciously thank the person who nominated me, The Brother’s Washburn (http://thebrotherswashburn.blogspot.com), and have tagged four other authors whose work could very well be THE NEXT BIG THING.

What is the working title of my book?

Shadows of Valor

Where did the idea come from for the book?
            I'd never written, or even attempted to write, a  full length novel before, but I had a bunch of action packed medieval scenes (and a few romantic ones *smile*) running around in my head 6 years ago that I thought, if put together, would make a great movie or story. So I sat down and started to work a plot around them.

What genre does my book fall under?
            Medieval Fiction - Takes place in 1300 A.D. England

Which actors would I choose to play my characters in a movie rendition?
            Hero – Stephen Amell, Chris Hemsworth, Channing Tatum or Richard Armitage
            Heroine – Kate Beckinsale or Madeleine Stowe
            Male Antagonist 1 – Paul Walker, Alexander Skarsgard, Orlando Bloom or Mike Vogel
            Male Antagonist 2 – Sean Bean, Gerard Butler or Rufus Sewel
            Female Antagonist – Alice Krige

What is a one-sentence synopsis of my book?
            Mixing adventure, and a touch of romance, a knight-spy for England's king hunts down smugglers while resisting his vengeance-driven desire to execute lethal justice before turning them in.

Will my book be self-published or represented by an agency?

My book is represented by Jolly Fish Press.

How long did it take me to write the first draft of my manuscript?
            As disorganized as the first draft was, it probably took me about 6 months . . . but then the reader feedback and countless revisions began *laugh*.

What other books would I compare this story to within my genre?
My husband says my story is like a “medieval batman.” I don’t know if another story like that exists - well, besides the obvious Robin Hood-type character, but my hero isn't an outlaw and doesn't live in the woods *smile*.

Who or what inspired me to write this book?
            I was inspired by visiting medieval castles in Italy and through reading stories such as Robin Hood, King Arthur and Ivanhoe. I started jotting things down on a whim one day. I had a bunch of cool ideas run through my head that I thought would make cool movie or story scenes. The idea to incorporate poems/ballads into the story were inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien including poems in “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” I only wrote three in mine, though. One at in the beginning, middle and last part of the novel. Hearing the poems and songs come to life through beautiful tunes in the Lord of the Rings movies directed by Peter Jackson inspired me to put my own to music as well. It was quite an enjoyable experience as I play the piano and also have a music writing program on my computer.

What else about my book might pique the reader’s interest?
            As mentioned above, I wrote three ballads into the story and went so far as writing the sheet music as well, all of which will be included in the publication. There is also a medieval recipe in there, courtesy of my sweet mother who was also my most awesome editor for all my revisions before I finally submitted to Jolly Fish Press.

Release date for Shadows of Valor: September 7, 2013

My links:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/authorelsiepark
Twitter - https://twitter.com/elsiepark1
Blog - www.elsiepark.blogspot.com/
Barnes and Noble -  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-of-valor-elsie-park/1114940696
* * *

Here are the fabulous authors I’ve tagged to tell you about their Next Big Thing on the 23^rd of January!

Jo Ann Schneider - http://joannschneider.blogspot.com/

Lehua Parker – http://www.lehuaparker.com/

Ann Marie Meyers – http://www.annmarie-meyers.com/

Eric Bishop – www.eric-bishop.com

Liesel K. Hill's "Persistence of Vision"

What better way to start off the new year than by posting about an upcoming novel in 2013: Liesel K. Hill's dystopian fantasy "Persistence of Vision," book one of Interchron.

Persistence of Vision synopsis:

In a world where collective hives are enslaving the population and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper, and independent 21st Century woman, must find the strength to preserve the freedom of the future, but without the aid of her memories.

After experiencing a traumatic time loss, Maggie is plagued by a barrage of images she can't explain. When she's attacked by a creep with a spider's web tattoo, she is saved by Marcus, a man she's never met, but somehow remembers. He tells her that both he and her creepy attacker are from a future in which individuals are being murdered by collectives, and Marcus is part of the rebellion. The collectives have acquired time travel and they plan to enslave the human race throughout all of history. The flashes Maggie has been seeing are echoes of lost memories, and the information buried deep within them is instrumental in defeating the collective hives.

In order to preserve the individuality of mankind, Maggie must try to re-discover stolen memories, re-kindle friendships she has no recollection of, and wade through her feelings for the mysterious Marcus, all while dodging the tattooed assassins the collectives keep sending her way.

If Maggie can't fill the holes in her memory and find the answers to stop the collectives, the world both in her time and in all ages past and future will be doomed to enslavement in the grey, mediocre collectives. As the danger swirls around her and the collectives close in, Maggie realizes she must make a choice: stand out or fade away...

Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15982000-persistence-of-vision

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Persistence-Vision-Liesel-K-Hill/dp/1620247968/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357073616&sr=1-5&keywords=Persistence+of+Vision

Nationwide Release date: January 29, 2013 

Book available now through Tate Publishing: http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781620247969

Liesel K. Hill writes across three genres: scif/fantasy, historical fiction, and crime drama. She's a graduate of Weber State University and a lover of all things fantastical! 

Liesel's Blog: http://lkhill.blogspot.com

Liesel's virtual blog tour list with links and dates starting January 13th through March 9th at: http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/p/persistence-of-vision-blog-tour.html